Very Bad Wizards Podcast

David and Tamler try to wrap their heads around the predictive processing theory of the mind and brain function and talk about a paper that applies the framework to meditation practices. But first a new Psychological Science article expresses skepticism about the existence of people who have no inner voice. So is David a new kind of human or is he just making up this condition to get attention?

Assistant Editors note: When Tamler says he doesnt talk to his dog weirdly often, he is lying.

Lind, A. (2024). Are There Really People With No Inner Voice? Commentary on Nedergaard and Lupyan (2024). Psychological Science, 09567976251335583.

Laukkonen, R. E., & Slagter, H. A. (2021). From many to (n) one: Meditation and the plasticity of the predictive mind.Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 128, 199-217.

David and Tamler heed the call to journey into the realm of Joseph Campbell. What are the unifying elements shared by myths and religions across time and culture? Does myth give us a portal into the hidden cosmic forces of the universe? Can it take us into depths of our unconscious and the nature of our own being? What is the legacy of Campbell’s thought today?

Plus, three brave scholars of fascism at Yale flee the country to form in a center of resistance at…The University of Toronto.

We’re Experts in Fascism. We’re Leaving the U.S. | NYT Opinion [youtube.com]

Joseph Campbell [wikipedia.org]

The Hero with a Thousand Faces [wikipedia.org]

The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell [amazon.com affiliate link]

We kick off our Bonus "Noir Summer" series with Robert Aldrich's "Kiss Me Deadly" (1956). While the rest of the bonus series will be for Patreon subscribers only, the first is free to all. 

David and Tamler return to their happy place and talk about two pieces by JL Borges – the story “Shakespeare’s Memory” and the [essay/story/poem/literary sketch??] “Everything and Nothing.”  What would it mean to have the memory of a supreme artist like Shakespeare? Would it help us understand his work, or how he was able to produce masterpiece after masterpiece What does it mean to have our own memories? How does all this connect to our sense of self?

Plus cancel culture comes to Cornell, but don’t worry it’s about that one thing it's fine to cancel people over.

Cornell President's NYT Op-Ed March 31, 2025  "Universities like the one I run aren't afraid to let people argue"

Kehlani speaks out after Cornell cancels her Slope Day appearance over 'hateful views' [cnycentral.com]

Cornell Musicians Oppose Kehlani’s Cancellation [cornellsun.com]

Shakespeare's Memory by Jorge Luis Borges [wikipedia.org]

Everything and Nothing by Jorge Luis Borges [dilipsimeon.blogspot.com]

David and Tamler talk about two famous puzzles that for different reasons have bedeviled the rationalist community – The Monty Hall Problem and Newcomb’s “paradox.” Why is it so hard for people to see that a 66% chance of winning a car is better than a 33% chance? Why do famous mathematicians struggle with this problem? And David and Tamler split on the Newcomb case – can you guess which one of us is the one boxer?

Plus since we’re basically a TV recap podcast now, some thoughts on White Lotus Season 3. 

The White Lotus [imdb.com]

Monty Hall Problem [wikipedia.org]

Numberphile on the Monty Hall Problem [youtube.com]

Newcomb's "Paradox" [wikipedia.org]

Nozick, R. (1969). Newcomb’s problem and two principles of choice. In Essays in honor of carl g. hempel: A tribute on the occasion of his sixty-fifth birthday (pp. 114-146). Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands.